Bolivians immigrate to Argentina to escape the lack of job opportunities and poverty. However, once in Argentina, they have to seek precarious and informal job opportunities, mainly in clandestine textile workshops. In these clandestine textile workshops, where most of them also live, they are reduced to servitude, exploitation and are subjected to conditions of semi-slavery. This is demonstrated by the 14 to 18 hours of work for seven days a week for only about 1300 to 3000 Argentine pesos per month.

The labor conditions of clandestine textile workshops pose a serious risk to health, making the workers vulnerable to various illnesses. Posture problems are common due to long hours of work in fixed position where they are hunched over sewing machines for hours. Chronic stress is common due to the long hours of work, constant supervision by the owners of the workshops and the stress of the inconsistency of their salary. The conditions of overcrowding in an enclosed space without ventilation and sunlight and constant inhalation of dust cause respiratory infections, among which tuberculosis is the most common. Furthermore, clandestine textile workshops are in the informal sector, which means the workers do not have access to health coverage through obra social or pre-paga. The lack of health coverage through obra social or pre-paga is a barrier to accessing health care services for early diagnosis and treatment of illnesses contracted at the workshop. Barriers to the access of health services further exacerbate the vulnerability of the Bolivian immigrant workers.

This qualitative research uses a combination of secondary sources and fieldwork to analyze the health risks of working conditions in clandestine textile workshops for Bolivian immigrants, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA). Through the perspective of socio-cultural epidemiology, this work highlights the particular social vulnerability of Bolivian immigrants in CABA. Most have immigrated to Argentina through criminal mechanisms and are working and living in semi-slavery conditions in the clandestine textile workshops. These conditions make them vulnerable to various diseases, which are exacerbated by barriers to access to health services. For the fieldwork, in-depth interviews were conducted with four Bolivian immigrants who are ex-workers of clandestine textile workshops, and who are currently working at La Alameda Cooperative. Through the presentation of the findings from the fieldwork, this paper analyzes the perspectives and experiences of former clandestine textile workers. The analysis of their perspective will focus on their observations on the health risks, types of diseases associated with work and access to health services.